The present invention relates to the use of lotus in dietary compositions for combating aging and its symptoms and methods for treatment and prevention of aging and its symptoms using such compositions. The dietary compositions may use, in combination or alone, Sacred Lotus seed extract, ground Sacred Lotus seeds, other Lotus varieties or parts of the Lotus. The present invention also concerns the use of components of the lotus plant, such as methyltransferase and especially L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase, ascorbic acid, gluthathione, and dopamine agonists present within the plant, and any locations of the lotus plant in which these components may be found, including the seed, fruit, husk, pithe, shell, plumule, petals, pastures, stalks, leaves, roots, stems, pollen, carpels, ovals, rhizomes, peltates and stipules, which may be classified with other names.
Within the dermis are highly stable fibers of collagen and elastin. Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, has a high tensile strength thus preventing skin from being torn by over stretching. Elastin, also a protein, allows movement. As skin ages, elastic tissue increases but it loses the ability to stretch and recover. This loss of resiliency and elasticity is accompanied by increased stiffness, sagging and wrinkling. Changes in collagen solubility and cross-linking contribute to loss of elasticity.
On the cellular level, aspartyl and asparaginyl residues are prominent at sites of age-related damage in proteins. These damaged sites have been characterized in a variety of proteins, but are particularly common in the long-lived proteins. Enzymatic mechanisms for reversing damage to DNA are well established and have been shown to be essential for extended lifespan.
Experiments performed in vitro with recombinant and chemically modified polypeptides have shown that the presence of an L-isoaspartyl residue may alter both enzymatic activity and the binding of other molecules.
Limiting the accumulation of these residues within cells is currently believed to be important; all human cells examined thus far contain an L-isoaspartyl/D-aspartyl protein methyltransferase that has been proposed to serve this function. It is also believed that this methyltransferase can recognize both D-aspartyl and L-isoaspartyl residues. In addition, it is thought that this enzyme may have the ability to reverse at least part of the damage to protein molecules.
Although the human isoaspartyl protein repair methyltransferase has been purified from red blood cells and had its protein sequence determined, in addition to harvesting a variant in a bacterial system, the availability and use of methyltransferase has been limited.
On or around Nov. 14, 1995, however, it was reported that scientists germinated a 1,288 year old Sacred Lotus seed. The research, reported in the November issue of the American Journal of Botany, began in 1982, when Jane Shen-Miller, a plant physiologist at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), obtained seven brown, oval-shaped Sacred Lotus seeds from the Beijing Institute of Botany.
In 1983, Jane Shen-Miller filed through the hard shells of four of the ancient Sacred Lotus seeds and watched three of them sprout. She then dried and burned the seedlings so she could use radiocarbon dating to establish the ages, the oldest of which was 1,288 years old.
According to the November 1995 report, one of those Sacred Lotus seeds had been in the ground for over 1,200 years; it therefore has been postulated that the Sacred Lotus seeds act as embryos that possess anti-aging properties. Up until this point, geneticists knew only about proteins that repaired damaged DNA. But findings have suggested that the L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase (MT) enzyme, found in the Sacred Lotus seeds and nearly all other organisms, may have the ability to repair other proteinsxe2x80x94those that make up cells and tissues, thus slowing tissue decay, and reversing some aspects of aging.
In these ancient Sacred Lotus seeds, the MT enzyme was present at levels comparable to modem day Sacred Lotus seeds. Damaged proteins did not accumulate within the ancient Sacred Lotus seeds, suggesting that the MT enzyme, possibly along with other constituents, kept the ancient Sacred Lotus seeds alive for so many years.
Before U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,348 (Riley et al.), it was unknown as to whether use of methyltransferase, or extracts or components of the Sacred Lotus plant, or extracts or components of other varieties of the Lotus plant (genus Nelumbo) in oral compositions would be effective in combating signs of aging, repairing damaged skin and/or restoring skin to a more youthful appearance. Moreover, there were no known acceptable products available which incorporated methyltransferase, extracts or components of the Sacred Lotus, or extracts or components of other varieties of the Lotus plant (genus Nelumbo) for combating aging, repairing damaged skin and/or restoring skin to a more youthful appearance.
Since filing the patent application for U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,348 (Riley et al.), we have discovered that our clients who utilize oral compositions containing methyltransferase, extracts or components of the Sacred Lotus, or extracts or components of other varieties of the Lotus plant (genus Nelumbo) have experienced not only improved skin quality, but other categories of improvement as well, which indicate reversal of the aging process. Included in these categories are improved stamina, sexual function, memory retention, circulation, vision and hair and nail growth. It is theorized that methyltransferase, or some other as yet undetermined component of lotus, enhances natural repair by limiting the accumulation of aspartyl and asparaginyl residues at the cellular level and hindering age-related damage in proteins.
In addition, some varieties of Lotus, such as Blue Lotus, have been shown to contain dopamine agonists. This chemical constituent could possibly assist in the release of growth hormone, a vital hormone that declines with age. Replacement of this hormone has been shown to reverse signs of aging and increase skin thickness, decrease wrinkles, improve bone density, improve muscle tone, and lipolyses, favoring a more youthful body composition.
Consequently, there exists a need for acceptable delivery systems that incorporate methyltransferase, dopamine agonists, or extracts or components of the Sacred Lotus plant for preventing and reversing signs of aging, repairing damaged tissue of the body""s organs, the largest being the skin, and restoring skin to a more youthful appearance as well as restoring overall good health. It is further theorized that other species in the Nelumbo family will have similar beneficial effects because of similar chemical constituents.
The present invention alleviates and overcomes certain of the above-mentioned problems and shortcomings of the present state of the art through the discovery of novel acceptable oral delivery systems which embody methyltransferase, extracts or components of the Sacred Lotus plant, or extracts or components of other varieties of the Lotus plant (genus Nelumbo) for effectively treating and preventing aging, repairing damaged skin and restoring skin to a more youthful appearance and methods of using same.
Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to provide a general method for prevention or alleviation of age-related damage to the skin and associated decline of body function and appearance from aging through the oral use of extracts of the lotus or its components, such as methyltransferase, in combination with a suitable carrier or vehicle.
Another object is to have the person taking the supplement to experience improvement in physical attributes helping the person to:
feel younger and look younger
have increased stamina
have increased sexual function
have improved circulation
have improved hair and nail strength and growth
have improved vision
have improved mental focus, performance and memory
have improved overall health
have improved immunity function
have improved body composition, with greater muscle tone
have improved body composition, with less body fat
have improved ability to sleep
have improved vitality
have improved energy
have improved mood
restore his or her skin to a more youthful appearance
improve the vibrancy of his or her skin
improve the smoothness of his or her skin
improve the tone of his or her skin
improve the elasticity of his or her skin
have less the appearance of wrinkles
Another object is to use the extract or ground seeds of the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) as a natural source of methyltransferase. It has now been observed, surprisingly and unexpectedly, that by using an extract or ground seeds of the Sacred Lotus by oral administration as an active agent, signs of aging can be reduced, or even reversed.
Also, until U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,348 and the present invention, there were no acceptable vehicles utilizing lotus flowers and seeds and its other natural components, such as methyltransferase, in a dietary formulation. Thus, another object of the present invention is formulations of Lotus seed in dietary supplements to improve the youthful appearance of the skin, repair visible damage, and reduce general signs of aging including loss of elasticity, fine lines, wrinkles, loss of vitality, reduced muscle tone, decreased sexual function, reduced mental performance, to promote the sense of feeling younger with improved general overall good health.
Another object is the formulation of dietary supplements providing anti-aging benefits from methyltransferase found in the Sacred Lotus seeds and other varieties of Lotus.
Another object of the invention is to formulate dietary supplements using other parts of the plant or extracts of other parts for antiaging.
Another object of the invention is to formulate dietary supplements using other varieties of the Lotus family, such as Blue Lotus, Yellow Lotus, White Lotus, and so forth, with different parts and extracts of these parts.
A suitable carrier or vehicle will include the formulation of powders, tablets, gelcaps, food additives, drops, liquids, beverages, pills, capsules, lozenges, and pastes comprised of Lotus or its components.
These and other objectives are achieved by the present invention which is directed to an oral formulation for the protection of the body, especially its largest organ, the skin, against damage caused by aging and a method for preventing or alleviating such damage and restoring the whole body to a more youthful appearance and vitality level by employing such in an oral formulation.
The formulation is a suitable orally acceptable, non-toxic, non-allergenic carrier containing Sacred Lotus plant and/or other Lotus plants and/or its chemical constituents, such as methyltransferase and other components of the seed.
The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying tables, figure, detailed description and examples. It should also be understood that the particular methods and formulations illustrating the present invention are exemplary only and not to be regarded as limitations on the present invention.